


Moving Beyond

by FairyNiamh



Series: Weyr [2]
Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pern Fusion, Dragon Rider Stiles Stilinski, Happy Ending, M/M, Slice of Life, Trope Bingo Round 13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-13 15:20:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21155084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyNiamh/pseuds/FairyNiamh
Summary: Stiles pushes beyond what people think he is capable of.





	Moving Beyond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lidil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lidil/gifts).

Watching Tabinth hunt on the grounds always made him smile. He knew of many past Queen Riders were repulsed by a dragon's feeding habit, but he was proud to watch her hunt. It was almost as much fun and satisfying as seeing his queen play with Waryth. Despite D'rek's aversion to teaching him to fly Tabinth, his dragon encouraged the pair to break the rules of society and the weyr itself were trying to impose on the duo.

_'Waryth insists that D'rek thinks he is protecting us. Is his brain so addled, that he thinks I am a defenseless ovine?'_ The Queen grumbled as she tore into her lunch.

"No, I think he is comparing us to Kate and Areneth," he tried to explain.

_'Denath, said that Areneth was a good and brave Queen. Though he refuses to speak of her rider. Do they fear you will do as she did?'_ the curious queen asked her rider.

"Actually, knowing D'rek, he probably thinks I would accidentally hurt you if we flew," was Stiles' honest, yet bland, response.

Tabinth gave a deep rumble of dissatisfaction. _'Ridiculous; you are my rider. If you hurt me, you hurt yourself. Humans are confusing creatures. I have finished my meal. Come, let us ride out to Harper Hall. The Masterharper has asked for your presence and I enjoy the warm water of their waters.'_

"Fine, D'rek will lose his temper either way we go," Stiles muttered as he climbed on his Queen's neck, forgoing the harness D'rek had insisted that they needed.

_'He should trust me not to drop you,'_ she repeated her complaint 

Stiles gave her neck a loving pat and assured her, "He trusts you, but he doesn't trust me not to fall off of you. Go, before he comes to chastise and stop us."

He chose to ignore Tabinth's unkind remarks about D'rek and the dragon rider's general distrust. Stiles understood it, even if he did not agree with it. He understood how K'ra felt, now. Just like him, she was still an outsider looking in, or maybe an insider longing to belong. That seemed to fit a bit better for their situation.

His breath was snatched from his body by the split second of time he spent in the cold of between during their flight. There was nothing to be done about that. He had dared to ask Duke about it. The older man had chuckled and carefully explained everything to him. The man had become Stiles' confidant and secret trainer. 

Duke did not agree with D'rek and P'ter's method of keeping information close to their breast. Stiles was a dragon rider, after all. A queen Dragon Rider and deserved the respect afforded the title. It had been Duke, no other rider, to teach them to go between safely.

At first, Kali had berated Stiles, telling him how harmful he was being to the dragon-less dragon rider, but when she saw the man come to life when he helped the pair, she apologized and gave Stiles her stamps of approval. This was good for both parties involved. 

He smiled as Tabinth showed off and spiraled her landing in the Harper Hall Field. He looked at the children watching the spectacle in awe.

"Show off," he laughed and hugged his queen.

_'I enjoy it when the humans look at us in confusion. One of these days, they will accept us,'_ she huffed as he swung from her neck.

"I doubt it, but I find that I no longer care what others think about us. Just what you think of us," came his candid reply.

_'Good. Finish what you came to do. My skin is getting dry,"_ she grumbled.

"I'll ask the Masterharper if he has any oil he can share. This is something you should complain about, while we are at the Weyr. Duke warned us about flying when you are feeling like this," Stiles chastised her as he gave a quick skip and ran toward the Harper Hall's front door.

He knew that K'ra and S'ott had left oil with the Harper hall beast keeper, in case something like this happened. He smiled as Masterharper Stilinski exited the hall, wearing his casual attire.

"Stiles, how are you and your Queen doing?" he asked. The Masterharper had started to take time to visit him and his dragon as often as his duties would allow. His status as Masterharper would not allow him to brag about his only son impressing the newest Queen, but he let his pride show in his eyes and his affection be known with the familiarity he showed to the Queen's Rider.

"Good, I was wondering if we could trouble you for some oil. Tabinth has some dry patches. I don't want to risk her," he asked as he scratched his head abashed at his negligence of Tabinth.

"Yes, and some sandsoap. Take your queen to the lake for a bath, I'll have one of the boys run the things needed out to you. Master Finstock has been asking after you. I think he misses you," the Masterharper chuckled.

Stiles smiled and shook his head, "He misses me as much as he misses the Thread. I am sure he just wishes to meet Tabinth. They just want to see my beautiful Queen," he fake wailed and threw the back of his hand to his head.

"Thank goodness you are a Dragonrider and not a storyteller, I am afraid your overacting would keep you from ever achieving even a journeyman level in that craft. A Bard, you are not," the Masterharper replied drolly.

"Harsh, send one of your apprentices, I'm not sure if Tabinth will allow anyone to touch her, but a little socializing wouldn't hurt," he dismissed as he turned and gave the golden beauty some much desired TLC.

_'Why do you and your father tease each other?'_ Tabinth questioned their bewildering behavior.

"That's how we show our love to one another," he merrily confessed.

_'He is your father, is he not?'_ was the inevitable question.

Stiles chuckled and hugged his queen. "Of course, he is my father. However, he has earned the right to be addressed as Masterharper, even by me. Just as I am a Dragonrider."

_'He uses your name,'_ she grumbled.

"And station when the situation warrants it," came the nonchalant reply.

_'He does not shorten your name as he does D'rek and the other Dragonriders,’_ she complained.

"I'm a Queen Rider, my name does not need to shorten. What would you have him call me S'les? Thanks, but no thanks," he responded with a shudder. 

Tabinth gave a huff and plopped down, _'That sounds... silly. I am glad you are named Stiles.'_

"I am happy that you approve of my name. What do you hear?" he asked as the queen's attention was suddenly distracted.

_'A singing small one approaches.'_ she huffed out.

"Everyone is small to you. Not all of us can be a queen. It's probably one of the apprentices." Sure enough, young Liam soon came into view carrying sandsoap and a sizable skin of oil. Stiles rushed to help unburden the young boy of his supplies.

"Queen Rider, you shouldn't be doing that," he insisted, even as the unasked-for wineskin and a satchel of sandsoap was lifted from his shoulders.

_'Finally, a respectful human,'_ she snorted in approval.

"Oh, hush you and into the lake," he laughed as he rolled up his pants legs and sleeves.

"Where should I leave the oil Queen..." the young apprentice started.

"I prefer to be called Stiles. I used to be in your very position, after all. Just set it in the sun. She likes it when the oil is slightly warmed," he instructed.

"She is very beautiful," he said in awe as he followed instructions.

_'He is very curious. He reminds me if you. You both have an eagerness to your aura. He may assist you in cleaning my torso,'_ she informed her rider.

"You're called Liam; am I correct?" Stiles' asked as he scrubbed his queen's head.

"Yes, I mean yes sir," came the nervous response.

"Does Tabinth scare you, Little One?" he chuckled the question.

The boy looked like he had been asked what an A Sharp minor was. "Of course not, I am not afraid. Dragons _protect_ us, they don't eat us. I don't care what Theo says."

"Good answer. Would you like to assist me in cleaning Tabinth's torso?" he asked as he rinsed his queen's head.

"Is that allowed?" he asked timidly.

"She suggested it. I would not have offered if she had any misgivings about you. Come, this is always faster when there are two of us," he offered, knowing that this will set him in good standing amongst his peers. 

Stiles sang softly as he scrubbed his beloved companion's neck and the rest of her body. So, engrossed in his task, he did not notice the young apprentice stop to stare at him in wonder and awe. When he did, he felt a touch disconcerted. He was used to people staring at Tabinth and barely acknowledging that he was right beside her.

"Why did you leave?" Liam asked softly.

The Dragonrider cocked his head, not fully understanding the question. Why had he left, where?

"The Guild. You have such a lovely voice; so, I don't understand why you left," the young apprentice muttered, his confusion coloring his voice.

"D'rek and Waryth landed here during the search, several passings back. With a new hatching and fewer young in the Weyr, naturally, they had to look elsewhere. S'ott was found right away. I had not been detected until I had rushed out to bid farewell to my friend. I never suspected that Waryth would grab me in his jaws and refused to drop me, even with D'rek ordering him to release me.

It was very exciting the first few hatches, but each year I was passed over, I fell deeper into depression. I remember that the last time I was eligible to stand the sands, I stayed behind and cried. Masterharper Stilinski felt pity and offered me a position here. I was tempted and I might have come back this year, but Tabinth surprised everyone. Somewhere deep down I knew I had a place in the weyr,” he explained as he started the rinsing process.

Liam chewed on his lip briefly, before asking, "Do you regret it?"

"Had you asked me that very question after the last time I stood on the sands, I would have said yes," he responded honestly.

"What changed? Besides your Queen," he clarified the question.

"Have you heard the sonnets of finding the other half of your soul?" he asked wistfully.

He wrinkled his nose and nodded. "I was forced to sing one during the last concert."

Stiles gave a hearty laugh, "As has every person in this guild, but I digress. When Tabinth Impressed on me and touched my mind for the first time, I knew I had found the other half of my soul. The sonnets and ballads do not begin to touch the feeling of wholeness when the bonding happens."

Liam stood there in awe. "I wish I had been searched."

He hummed at the young boy's words. "There is a downside to being searched."

"You lie," quickly fell from the boy's mouth.

The Dragonrider had a sad smile and shook his head.

"But... You get to ride a dragon! How can there be a downside to that?" he pleaded.

"There is no downside on that part, but the wait to meet your dragon, _if_ you meet your dragon, is very stressful. Leaving your family and friends is sad and lonely at times," he confessed.

The young man paused in his scrubbing and looked at the rider quizzically. "I thought S'ott was searched when you were." 

"We were searched together. However, S'ott impressed the Denath two turns before Tabinth had hatched. Even though we were able to see one another in the Weyr, we had very different responsibilities. So, our paths rarely crossed," he explained.

"Did you ever think about returning to the Harper Hall?" Liam asked sadly as he resumed washing the golden beauty.

"I did; in fact, if Tabinth hadn't come in my life, I might be a Journeyman here. I think you would have hated that," Stiles laughed.

The boy nodded vigorously. "I would have never got to wash a queen dragon."

The rider laughed harder at such an earnest and honest answer only to frown a few minutes later.

_'Waryth is bringing his extremely moody rider,'_ Tabinth warned. 

"I had hoped I had a bit more time before D'rek hunted us down. Liam, hop on out, Tabinth rinse off," he instructed as he followed Liam out of the water.

_'I still need oiled,'_ the dragon grumbled as she rinsed away the sandsoap from her scales.

"So, you think I would neglect your needs and let you fly, much less go between, without properly tending to you? D'rek can get stuffed," Stiles asked, hurt at his dragon would think such things of him.

_'No, I am just irritated. I was enjoying letting you and the little one wash me, even if the conversation made me wonder if you were cross with me choosing you,’_ she snorted crossly. 

"Never. I do not miss my old life, but I cannot lie and say that I was not lonely before you," he explained softly.

"Stiles! How could you take Tabinth out of the Weyr without informing a bronze rider?" D'rek asked as he approached the pair.

The younger rider shooed the starry-eyed youth away before responding, "I would ask you to not air your grievances in front of outsiders."

"Answer the question," D'rek growled.

"The Masterharper invited us and Tabinth needed to stretch her wings. Besides, she was tired of flying circles around the Weyr bowl," he said as calmly as he could.

"You were forbidden to leave the Weyr. You could have been..." the bronze rider started.

The queen rider smirked as he finished the other's fears, "I could have been accosted, raped, killed?"

"Yes! By the shell, Stiles; why would you put yourself in such danger?" D'rek pleaded. 

"Why do you think I visited Harper Hall instead of a neighboring Weyr? I was Harper raised, before I was searched. You should ask the Masterharper what that means," he explained as if he were speaking to a child.

D'rek let out an exasperated breath. "You're not making any sense. Well, less sense than usual."

"I have listened and heard the venomous words of weyr, hall, and hold alike. I know that there are many who wish Tabinth had been a traditional queen and impressed one of the vapid females you had placed in her path. We are not a traditional pairing and the people of Pern would do well to accept that truth," the queen rider stated as calmly as he could as he began to oil the golden hide of his beautiful dragon.

The bronze rider grabbed at his own hair and gave the overwhelming queen rider an extremely irritated look, "You cannot expect the people of Pern to let go of more than 1,000 turns of... "

"Habit, not tradition. The fire-lizards are proof that gender means exactly shit. The holders already _think_ they know everything about the weyrs and riders. So, why should I listen to their hidebound whines and opinions? Why are you so worried about what they think of us?" Stiles asked as calmly as he could. He did not want to upset Tabinth.

"I don't care one whit about what they think, I care about what they may do with the pair of you," came the earnest reply.

Stiles sweetly cupped the bronze rider 's cheek and looked deep into his eyes, "You worry overmuch, D'rek. There will soon come a time when you will be forced to trust me."

"Be that as it may, now is when you should trust the senior dragon riders,” he tried again.

"I trust you; I do not trust P'ter," Stiles confessed, because it was the truth.

He waved away the rider's worries, "He's harmless. Yes, he wishes for Baneth to fly Tabinth when she raises for mating; as I wish for Waryth to fly her."

Stiles rolled his eyes and shook his head, "I am well aware of that. P'ter loves to whisper about how violently he will fuck my virgin ass when the time comes. How easy it would be to poison a trusting fool, like you."

D'rek stiffened with this new knowledge. Then confusion swept over his features, "P'ter has made unwanted advances on your person?"

"Ah, now you are worried about that addled brained fool,” Stiles pointed out.

"He's not addled brained,” was the quick terse response.

"He is a fool, however. The proof is him thinking I am a virgin. You took care of that issue well before Tabinth chose me, didn't you?" he taunted the rider.

"You had no complaints at the time," he replied stiffly.

"Nor do I have complaints now. I was simply reminding you of who you turned to when Baneth flew Areneth. You were well pleased that day," was Stiles reply, returning to oiling his beautiful queen.

"How did you know about going between? It is very dangerous to try without proper training and guidance," D'rek returned with the reason for being there.

The queen rider rolled his eyes at the question. "When would you, P'ter, or any of the other riders spare the time to train me?"

"Had you asked..." he began. 

This caused Stiles to sigh deeply. "How many times must I ask?" 

"You do not know how dangerous it is,” D'rek parried. 

Stiles rolled his eyes at the rider's response, because his tone reminded him to an old uncle complaining about upstart youngsters not knowing anything. "Thanks to how hard you trained S'ott and K'ra, I know better than most. Plus, you forget, it was Duke who taught us fly. Do you think _he_ would neglect anything with his instructions?

D'rek looked like he was ready to hurt someone. Probably Stiles, if Tabinth would not seriously injure him. "You are going to be the death of me," came the tired words.

"Of course, I am. I have finished oiling Tabinth. I need to bid farewell to the Masterharper, " he sniped as he swung up on Tabinth's neck ridge. He gave the queen's neck a pat before they were in the sky.

_'Why is D'rek so angry? I would never let you come to harm,'_ the dragon grumbled as her rider made haste to get away from the grumpy duo.

"I have a theory that he was born angry and worried. I am sure his mother would disagree, but mothers rarely find fault with their child," came the wistful response.

_'Does your mother find fault with you, because you impressed me?'_ the dragon asked, misunderstanding her rider's tone.

"No, my sweet. My mother passed turns before I had even been searched. Though, I know she would have loved you. She might have been a Queen rider as well; except she was to see my father the next day. She chose the mundane over prestige. To which I am thankful for," he confessed to his queen.

_'You are proud of where you came from,'_ was Tabinth's surprised reply.

"As are you. There is no scandal or shame in my past. Yes, there is a sadness there, but no shame," he explained as they landed in front of Harper Hall.

Tabinth had a thoughtful grumble to her rider's words. Clearly, picking up on his time-honored way of avoiding talking further about something that was confusing.

Stiles had hoped to spend a meal in the hall. Sadly, Waryth began to bother Tabinth on behalf of his rider. Sometimes D'rek was more trouble than a teething dragon.

"I apologize that my visit is short. However, my Tabinth has informed me that we are needed at the Weyr. I had hoped that our time together would have been at least a meal or even a simple chat," Stiles grumbled as he embraced his father farewell.

_'The grumpy one is getting more demanding,'_ he chuckled at her pithy tone. Easily imaging her rolling her eyes at the man. _'Dragons cannot roll their eyes.'_

"The folly of a short attention span and an overactive imagination," he confessed as they took flight.

The day had been enjoyable. Even at the risk of facing D'rek's ire and wrath. The dragon rider, while stern, was a giant ball of fluff. He feared disappointing Tabinth more than the rider's wrath.

_'We've been ordered to not go between on the journey back to the Weyr,'_ his Queen growled at the order.

"Well, that sounds positively boring and you seem tired. I think, yes," he chuckled and closed his eyes. "So, do you have where we are to go? "

_'Yes,'_ was the happy response.

"Then let's go between and go home," he ordered with a wicked grin. Honestly, one of these days they would remember that they and authority will never mix.

~fin~


End file.
